Bloomberg Defends ‘Freedom to Worship as We Wish’ in NYC

Posted on Aug 3, 2010

huffingtonpost.com

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg took a look back through his city’s religious history as he took the podium Tuesday in support of the planned Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero in Manhattan, pointing out episodes of intolerance and good faith alike before making his case for the project to go forward. “Muslims are as much a part of our city and our country as the people of any faith,” he said, “and they are as welcome to worship in lower Manhattan as any other group.” —KA

hello. lower Manhattan is money. radical religious extremists killed Americans. building is a healing homage reaching out to anyone questioning their liberties in our great nation. propaganda about infidels needs to be addressed, not the religious freedoms of our citizens. we are not so much alike other nations. we are the Democratic Republic of the United States of America. we always shine as a host to individual liberties and freedoms, and we are ironing out the inequalities. to not build would be a giant leap backwards.

Some murderous fanatics so says Bloomberg, what a smuck.
IT WAS SAUDI ARABIANS SCREAMING ALLAH AKBAR.
is that not religion.
What a buch of phoney assholes these are the ones making money from the building of a Mosque community center. If It was a NAZi , and put mtheir building inside another bld to hide so front street couldn`t see, the Nazi community center, THAT `SS OK BLOOMBERG. Or if the KKK puts up an community centre and hides their real intention so the public couldn`t see that`s OK TOO BLOOMBERG. NO RESPECT BOOMBERG not for the dead or the living, only for the money. Bloomberg makes JEWS look BAD, all FOR THE MONEY, F—k you for a buck bloomberg.

Mayor Bloomberg is on the right side of history in supporting the building of a Mosque in the vicinity of Groound Zero.

Those who support the Mayor are taking a victory away from the nineteen terrorists who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks. Imagine the propaganda prize we would be offering those on the wrong side of history such as Osama Bin Laden by forbiding the construction of a Mosque because it would somehow defile a site sacred to us.

What are we afraid of? Where is the threat? How can we fear a house of worship of a faith that, along with Judaism and Christianity, represents a pillar of one of the three Abrahamic faiths?

We must offer our Islamic brothers and sisters the gift of hospitality and the dignity of difference. “The Dignity of Difference” is the title one of the wisest books I know. The book is by the distinguished Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. It speaks to the tensions raised by the controversy surrounding the Mosque. As the good Rabbi writes, “Crises happen when we attempt to meet the challenges of today with the concepts of yesterday.” The exclusion of people because of race and religion has been a stain on our past that Americans in large measure have overcome. Let us not revert to the wrongs of yesterday by rejecting an Islamic house of worship.

The Mosque’s very closeness to Ground Zero honors those who died at Ground Zero by showing the world that they died for a noble cause. That noble cause has a name, it is called tolerance.

(The above thoughts are by a retired senior American diplomat who happens to be an observant Christian.)

The opponents of this Islamic Center have to keep the pressure on in spite of Bloomberg’s ill advised support. Something isn’t quite right. If the Muslim advocates of this center really want a better dialog and relationship with the community, then they should relocate the site. There are more locations within Tribeca suitable for an Islamic Center. It’s not a matter of rights, but what is right. Better judgment and sensitivity on the part of the Muslim community is sorely needed here.